We are fortunate that parents of almost 15,000 children have chosen Perry Township as a place they want to send their children to school. Our primary responsibility is to meet the academic needs of our students. However, our responsibilities reach far beyond the textbook and computer. We all know that the health of children has a significant effect on their academic performance. We have instituted a comprehensive wellness program complete with nursing services in all our schools. A sample of responsibilities of this department includes tracking students’ immunizations, monitoring self-administered medications, assisting with student accidents and diabetic student care. Student visits to the clinic are monitored, which may help discover undiagnosed conditions of illness and/or medical needs. Clinic assistants are trained by licensed nurses who serve as resource nurses for the elementary schools. The district’s nursing supervisor is Esther L. Moeller, RN, BSN. Her department is responsible for scheduling vision/hearing/dental screenings and conducting health education programs. This group also coordinates annual health-care meetings and trainings for students who have complex medical conditions. The parents, the resource nurse, principal, teacher and clinic assistant are included in these meetings to ensure that routine and emergency medical plans are in place at school.In addition, all our teachers must be CPR- and automated external defibrillator-certified. The two-hour certification classes are facilitated by nursing services. The department is also involved with outreach programs in the Perry Township community. For instance, the department ensures the participation of health-care screenings, information and education at events such as Coach Hathaway’s Running South/Day of Wellness. The health fair visitors may visit with representatives from the Gentle Dentist, a chiropractor, the Lions Club (eye exam), Franciscan Health, Walmart (eye exam), the American Red Cross, Med Express, the YMCA, Produce Promoters and more.Nursing services also provide essential public health information to our parents, staff and community in conjunction with the Marion County Public Health Department. An example of this partnership is the current outbreak of shigellosis. Perry Township Schools has only had four confirmed cases. However, parents and staff were notified about the infection and the preventative measures being taken by the district. Surfaces such as toilet flush handles, toilet seats, faucet handles, counters and door knobs are being disinfected frequently. We are proactively disinfecting our facilities. The executive director of the department, Dr. Virginia Caine, and her staff are helpful and supportive as we strive to maintain a healthy school environment. If there are questions, we always encourage parents to contact their child’s health-care provider or the Health Department at 221-2117.As always, the well-being of children is a top priority in Perry Township Schools. I am grateful for the work of our nursing services to protect and promote student health and encourage wellness in our entire school community.

Students do well in school for a variety of reasons. Extracurricular activities play a key role in many of our students’ lives as they take the path to graduation. The relationships built, the work ethic established and the pride developed as a representative of their schools is entrenched in students who participate in programs such as athletics, the arts and robotics.For example, the high school football season is underway, and Southport and Perry Meridian participate against other teams on Friday evenings. Home games for both schools are played on Skillman Field at Perry Stadium. The Falcons and Cardinals were invited to participate in the Horseshoe Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium.The safety of our athletes is our top priority. Football helmet safety has been in the news recently. A Virginia Tech firm conducted a battery of tests on adult-size football helmet models with each model receiving a rating. Helmets with five stars were considered of superior quality. Helmets receiving one star rating were not recommended. All helmets used in our high schools have received high ratings. Aside from practice and games, Southport players are continuing their game-day tradition of reading to preschoolers at the Early Childhood Academy. I’m proud that these athletes serve as reading role models for our youngest learners.Football season also means that it’s homecoming time. Come and join the fun. Southport’s homecoming• Theme: “Cardinals Take Center Stage,” a fun-filled take on school spirit and classical musical theatre.• Wednesday, Sept. 17, 6 p.m., powder puff football at Perry Stadium• Friday, Sept. 19, 5:30 p.m., homecoming parade. Serving as grand marshal is Rupert Boneham of “Survivor” fame. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and daughter. • Football game against Bloomington South at 7 p.m.• Homecoming court at halftime.• Saturday, Sept. 20, dance at Southport.Perry Meridian’s homecoming• Theme: “Once Upon a Homecoming.”• Thursday, Sept. 25, class hall decorating contest. • Parade at 5:30 p.m. Grand marshal is Nikki Knight, Perry’s 2013-14 Teacher of the Year. • Extravaganza/push cart race at 6 p.m., competitions between the classes in an obstacle course, a phone booth stuffing contest and a tug-of-war challenge.• Friday, Sept. 26, pep session.• Football game against Bloomington North at 7 p.m. • Saturday, Sept. 27, dance at Perry.

Today’s world has us entrenched in the world of technology. Perry Township understands that its children must have access to technology if they are to be prepared for life after high school. Just six years ago there were approximately 5,000 computers in our schools; today, more than 14,000 are utilized every day.The technology statistics for Perry Township are quite impressive. Daily log-ins from parents, students and staff for Skyward (our student management system) typically number almost 10,000. Parents and students monitor grades and assignments, and teachers respond to questions from students who are working on their homework in the evening. Perry Township has an instructional tool called a Smart Board, and these boards are installed throughout the district. These digital white boards are heavily used by staff and students. Teachers have taken advantage of more than 500 development courses to learn how to use devices such as Smart Boards.Students in Grades 3 through 8 have individual access to a computer and use this tool as readily as we used a pen and paper when we were in school. High school students also have access to computer tablets called Chromebooks, which have replaced many traditional textbooks.These technological advances enable teachers to create and collect assignments without using paper. Teachers evaluate their students’ work and provide direct, real-time feedback as children work in the classroom.The township is blessed with outstanding teachers, all of whom use technology to their advantage. Here is how that IT impacts the instructional program: • Fourth-grade teacher Matt White provides audio comments on the writing assignments turned in by his pupils, who can receive feedback many times during the same day.Casey Pennington’s seventh-grade language arts class accesses a software program called Destiny to help search for books in the media center. The program provides selections at the appropriate reading level for each child. Students in Christi Akers’ class use their Chromebooks to write essays in a computer program called Google Docs. All of the essays can be viewed by Akers from her computer, and she can provide comments as students write. Students in Kelly Harmon’s classroom discussed the difference between texting and standard English by making classroom posts in Google. The use of technology is important in today’s educational experience. However, we must always remember that it is the relationship between the student and the teacher that ultimately makes the difference in a student’s life. Our staff members excel in the use of technology in their instructional programs, and they deeply care about their students.